Springfield daily republic. [volume] (Springfield, O. [Ohio]) 1887-1888, 1887-04-29
THE DOCTORS HEROISM.

who undertook la cure any affection Of
the lungs in any stage Of the disease
were thronxed with patients holding their
tickets in their hands.
At the entrance stood the money re-
ceiver, wearing a long black frock coat;
he took from each patient the indispen-
sable fee of two guineaS, tested the gold
with single tap Of the hammer upon
little ornamental anvil and cried auto
matically, An right.'
In his private ofiice-a glass structure
like "A conservatory, around which great
tropical shrubs were ranged, each grow
ing in a huge Japanese pot-sat the stiff
little Dr. Hallidonhill. Beside him, at "A
little round table, his secretary kept
stenographing brief prescriptions given.
At the swinging doors, covered with red
velvet studded with gold headed nails
stood a valet of mOn>trous frame, Whose
duty II WAS 10 carry the feeble cunsump
tiyes To the lobby, whence they wer. low
cred ny an elevator, in easy chairs, below
aJ soon rs The official signal, Next had
been given.
The patients entered with dim and
CLASSY eyes, stripped 10 the waist, and
each with his upper garments thrown ovei
his arm. lnstantaneously upon entering
they received the application of the plSs
simeter and the tube on back and chest.
Tick, tick, plsff Breathe now
Plaff-Goud. =
Then followed u prescription dictated il,
a second or two; then the Well known
Next
And every morning for three years, be
tween clock and noon. the procession
of sufferers came and passed.
IL. 4.
the stroke Of y clock, n sort of long skel
eton, with wildly wandering eyes, cheeks
s0 hollow that they seemed To touch to-
gether under the palate, and nude torso
that looked like n cage covered with loose
parchment, uplifted occasionally by the
efforts of a racking cough-iu short, be-
ing 50 wasted that il seemed impossible
for him To live, came in with blue foN
skin mantle thrown over his arm. and
tried 10 keep himself from falling Icy
catching at the long leaves Of the shrubs
a. he expanded the compass of ms femora
in the doctors Office.
Tick. tick. plaff! - All the devil
Can't do anything for you!'' grumblei DR.
Hallidonhill DO you take ME for n cor
oner whose business ii is to certify causes
of death, You will spit up the last cell OF
this lef, lung in less than week, the
right is already riddled like a sieve!
Next
The valet was inst about to carry out
the client when the eminent 1herapeuti>t
suddenly slapped himself on the forehead
and pru>quely asked, with n dubious
smile:
Are YOU rich
I'm milliouaire-much more than a
millionaire, sobbed the unhappy being
whom Hallidonhiii thus unceremoniously
dismissed from the face of the earth.
Very well. then; let your invalid
carriage take yOu at once 10 the Victoria
railway station. Take the IL O'Clock eX-
press for Dover, Then the steamer for
Calais. Then take the train from Calais
to Marseiles-sccnrc sleeping car with
stove in il, Aud then get 10 Nice as fast
as you can There try 10 live on water
cress Tor six monthS-nnihing but water
cresS-no bread nor wine. nor fruit, nor
meats of any kind. One teasponnful of
rain water well iodiZeG every two days
And wniercress, watercrc>s. watercress,-
pounded AMI brayed in its own juice--that
is your only chance, and still let ME tell |
YOU this: This method Of cure | know of
on,y by hearSay: its pretended efficacy is
being dinned into my ears all the time
i don't believe i'll it the least bit. | pro
Jose II only because, yours seems Ia be |
aopeless case.-yet | think That As
remedy il is worse than absurd Still |
nothing is impossible. Next"
The phthisicsl CrPsus was carefully de
posted in the cushioned car Of the eIe
vator, and the regular procession Of con |
sumptive, ScorbutiC and otherwise af |
fiicted patients commenced its pilgrimage |
through the Office.
six months later Nov 3-ju>t at the |
streke Of ? O'clock--a sort Of giant. with
a terrificslly sonorous and jovial voice.
whose tones shook every pane of glass in
the doctors Office and set the leaves of
all the tropical plants a-tremble, a great.
chubby checked colossus, clothed in rich
furs, burst like a human bombshelI
through the sOrrowful ranks of DR. Hal
lidonhill's clients, and rushed, without
ticket, into the sanctum of the prince of
science, who had just come. cool and calm
IS usual, in his black cloth suit, to sit
down before his Office table Selling tn.
doctor about the body the giant uplifted
him like feather and kissed and kissed
again in silence and bathed in tears of joy
the wan and worn cheeks of the prac-
.itioner, as paradoxical Normandy nurse
would kiss the face of u child. after which |
he set him down again a semi-comatose
md almost sudocated state in his green
armchair
Two millions of francs-do You want
hem shouted the giant. terrible living
''Or do you wish for
hree: owe to gou breath, sun, splendid
'epasts, life-everything Make your
lain upon me for extraordinary rewards;
suffer with the thirst of thankfulnessn
My goodness. who il this madInans
Put him ont Of here feebly articulated
he doctor, after Il moments fpfostration
No, no-you don't growled the giant,
With pugillStic glance ut the valet that ,
nafie him recoil as from blow The
act is, he continued, Il understand now
hat even you--you, my savi1r-cannot
ecngniZr me. am the Watercress Man
The hopeless skeleton, the helpless pa |
lent. Nice !-waterCress, watercress,
'atercress! Well, I've done my six ,
lonths of watercress diet Look at your
;ork now See here-listen TO that"' ,
And he began TO drum upon his chest
18th two huge fists, solid enough to shat c
.r the skul Of a Middlesex prize bull. a
what cried the doctor, leaping to his c
'et. You are-my gracious! are you the S
wing man whom -
Yes, yes-a Thousand times yesr'
elied the giant. Il am the very man.
he moment landed yesterday evening
rdered a bronze statue OF you, and will
we influence enough to secure YOU a !
lonunient III Westminster whel YOU a
ie''
Then dropping himself upon an i'm
lense sofa whose springs creakcd and.
roaned benea IA his weight, he continued,
ith sigh of delight and a smile Or
eatiiic ecstay: u
'Ahl what a sweet thing life is!''
The doctor I'D something in a whisper. )
al the secretary and the valet left the Z
'om. Once alone with his resuscitated pa G.
ent HallidOnhill, stiff, wan and glacial as "
'er, stared nervously at the giants face a.
silence for a minute or two, then sud
My observed in 8 queer tons ii voice: